Breathe Magazine

With the holidays just around the corner, it seems like the perfect time to share these wonderful tips from Ideal Bite for eco-friendly air travel. Whether you’re flying or driving to visit friends and family this week (or if you’re brave enough to host the whole clan at your place), I wish you safe travels and a happy turkey day! 

Leaving on a Jet Plane 

Don’t know when you’ll be back again? Even if you do, we want to clue you in on our best eco air travel tips before you take off. Your green taxi’s waiting and blowing his horn.

1. It’s in the bag.

Skip luggage that comes with its own baggage – like chromium and PVC (from conventional leather and plastics), which release cancer-causing chems during production – in favor of greener alts made of materials like vegetable-tanned leather (no chromium), recycled materials, and sustainable crops like hemp. Better yet, opt for a used bag at a secondhand shop. Get the full Bite. 

2. Take a load off(set).

Flying’s a big drain on Mama Earth with its fuel usage and CO2 emissions – the CO2 from 10,000 cross-country flights is equivalent to what 413 Americans produce in a year. But you can help ease the burden on the environment (and your conscience) by purchasing carbon offsets, which help fund positive eco-projects such as tree planting to help nullify the negative effects of your flight. Get the full Bite. 

3. Great minds ink alike.

When printing out your boarding pass before heading to the airport, set your printer to Draft Mode to save ink and money. This little trick can save as much as $10 on ink per ream of paper. It’s still plenty dark enough to read, plus you’ll get that boarding pass in your hands even quicker – a typical inkjet prints 12 pages per minute in regular mode and 36 in Draft. Get the full Bite. 

4. Needle in a hay-snack.

Plan ahead for in-flight munchies by packing your own snacks in reusable containers – like aluminum snack boxes(keeps your sandwich from getting smooshed) or organic cotton pouches. You’ll get to pick your own healthier, lower-calorie food; save money you would’ve (over)spent on chips and cookies at the airport or on the plane; and avoid the excess waste from disposable packaging. Get the full Bite.

5. Along for the ride.

Airport parking can get pretty pricey, so opt to get to and from the ‘port by public transportation, a green cab (Google green cabs and your city for local suggestions), or even an eco-limo (if you’re feeling fancy). Hybrids – common in green car-service fleets – get more than twice the gas mileage of comparable cars, conserving fuel and polluting less. Get the full Bite.

6. Domo arigato, Mr. Ro-bottle.

Yeah, it stinks that you can’t bring beverages though security anymore, but you can bring along your empty reusable water bottle (might we suggest this lovely model), and either fill your bottle at the water fountain once you’ve cleared security or have the flight attendant fill it with your beverage of choice on board. Airlines use about 1 million disposable cups every 6 hours, so opting out of using one means less trash. Get the full Bite.

7. Pillow fight.

Keep the crick out of your neck, waste out of landfills, and pesticides at bay by investing in an eco neck pillow. Look for recycled materials, organic fillings like buckwheat, and organic cotton covers. Beats those thin airplane pillows – and you’ll give Mama Earth a rest too. Get the full Bite.

8. Fill in the blank(et).

Channel Linus and BYO blanket on board. Airline blankets are usually packaged in plastic, creating extra waste, and aren’t the coziest to cuddle up with. Try an eco-alt made of organic cotton or recycled fleece, which forgo pesticides and production of new materials. Get the full Bite. 

9. Veg out.

If your flight offers a meal option and you didn’t pack ahead, opt for the vegetarian selection. A meatless diet is 50% more effective at cutting CO2 than switching from a standard car to a hybrid, and going veggie usually means lower-calorie meals. Get the full Bite.

10. Potty like a rock star. 

If you’ve gotta go, swing by the airport bathroom before you board the plane. Every flush in the airplane lavatory uses enough fuel to run a car for 6 miles and emits 5.6 pounds of CO2, since planes use powered vacuums to flush instead of gravity like the toilets at home. Get the full Bite.